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Pre-Game Talk: Metro Division Final: (2) Rangers vs. (1) Penguins

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We will win this series because I got a Rick Nash hair style! Came out nice eh?

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RangerBoy said:
Too many people are picking the Rangers to beat Pittsburgh in 6. Larry Brooks and Stop coaching Pat. Brooks had the Rangers beating Philly in 5 and it went to 7 games. If Mason played the entire series,do the Rangers win? He had a concussion at the beginning of the series. The Rangers had the edge in goal and D against Philly and they nearly lost. The Rangers have the advantage over most clubs in those two areas. It has not translated into much playoff success. Long playoff run success. Lundqvist was spotty until game seven. It will be another long series. How much will the Rangers have left in the tank? The Rangers haven't win a playoff series in less than seven games since 2008 against the Devils. Pittsburgh is the Rangers boogeyman. The Rangers were swept in 1989 by Pittsburgh. The Rangers had fired their coach with 2 games left in the regular season. The team was a wreck. In 1992,the Rangers blew that series. They were the better team but Pittsburgh found a way. Up 4-2 in game 4 with 10 minutes left in the third period. Leading the series 2-1. The Rangers lost the next 3 games. In 1996,the Rangers lost in 5. They lost both games at the Garden. Ken Wregget came off the bench to best them. In 2008,the Rangers were flying high off beating Jersey in 5. Pittsburgh took them out in 5. The Rangers blew game one on a Friday night. Pittsburgh is a much better team than Philly. The schedule works against them. Letang was terrible early in the Columbus series but he played much better later in the series. The Rangers are up against here.
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Good Lord, thank goodness you didn't go into our series against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1928. This is now: what happened in the past is over and dead. I am entirely confident this current team is going to beat the Pens.
 
For me, the series boils down to secondary scoring and who can step up and be the wild card.

I'm concerned about the secondary scoring of Pitt with Neal, Sutter and Jokinen will be too much for the Rangers. I can't see Pouliot, Brassard and Richards keeping pace.

Playoffs are also about individual players picking up their game and raising it to a level they normally do not play at. Will this be a Ranger in the series or will it be a Pen? If I would predict a Ranger wild card, it would be Hagelin. I think with his speed, he can be a game changer in this series.

Finally, I think a player that might be useful in this series is Diaz. I'd like to see him get some time.
 
I was confident about the Rangers winning the last series in 6 or 7 when many people here were losing their minds. That prediction was made before the end of the season. It was a toss up series. The Rangers are facing a different team. I hope to be wrong.
 
The major concern should be Pittsburgh's 1 in 4 power play, and the fact that NYR only killed 71% in the first round.

Aside from that, Pitt had only 3 more ROW all season than NYR. Everything else was shootouts and loser points.

So, stay out of the damn box.
 
RangerBoy said:
Too many people are picking the Rangers to beat Pittsburgh in 6. Larry Brooks and Stop coaching Pat. Brooks had the Rangers beating Philly in 5 and it went to 7 games. If Mason played the entire series,do the Rangers win? He had a concussion at the beginning of the series. The Rangers had the edge in goal and D against Philly and they nearly lost. The Rangers have the advantage over most clubs in those two areas. It has not translated into much playoff success. Long playoff run success. Lundqvist was spotty until game seven. It will be another long series. How much will the Rangers have left in the tank? The Rangers haven't win a playoff series in less than seven games since 2008 against the Devils. Pittsburgh is the Rangers boogeyman. The Rangers were swept in 1989 by Pittsburgh. The Rangers had fired their coach with 2 games left in the regular season. The team was a wreck. In 1992,the Rangers blew that series. They were the better team but Pittsburgh found a way. Up 4-2 in game 4 with 10 minutes left in the third period. Leading the series 2-1. The Rangers lost the next 3 games. In 1996,the Rangers lost in 5. They lost both games at the Garden. Ken Wregget came off the bench to best them. In 2008,the Rangers were flying high off beating Jersey in 5. Pittsburgh took them out in 5. The Rangers blew game one on a Friday night. Pittsburgh is a much better team than Philly. The schedule works against them. Letang was terrible early in the Columbus series but he played much better later in the series. The Rangers are up against here.
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It's not just them.

http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2014/4/15/5615300/stanley-cup-playoffs-predictions-2014

Of the four that picked the Penguins to move on from the first round, all of them picked the Rangers to beat them.
 
As a pens fan, i am not certain what to make of this series. I had us pegged getting knocked out in the first round if we played Detroit or Philly, and in the second if we played CBJ.

The Pens have more talent than they play, but insist on fielding virtually worthless grit players like Adams and Glass that take away spots from speedy, skilled guys like Gibbons, Menga, Zolnercyk, or Connors. To make matters worse, they dont play their collection of highly skilled, effective young defensemen so that pylons like Scuderi and Orpik that dont fit Bylsma's system can get ice time.
The coaches system is just bad, and when they allow too much offensive pressure Fluery can get rattled.

Basically if Crosby is healthy (and he obviously isnt), Malkin is used as the playmaker, not the defensive guy on his line, they play guys like Despres or Bortuzzo over Orpik and Scuderi, and they limit the 4th line's ice time if not simply replace Glass or Adams or both with a speed guy, then the pens have a chance...

If they keep things as is, play the vets over the skilled young guys, run out mismatched lines and defensive pairings, and play parimeter hockey, they are going to lose badly... most every Pens fan knows this... its a win win for us... either we get another run at the Bruins in the ECF, or we get a new HC who may have a clue and quit wasting crosby and Malkin's prime with garbage hockey...
 
RangerBoy said:
I was confident about the Rangers winning the last series in 6 or 7 when many people here were losing their minds. That prediction was made before the end of the season. It was a toss up series. The Rangers are facing a different team. I hope to be wrong.
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What does that have to do with the 89 and 92 teams?
 
The Penguins are awfully top heavy. If the Rangers can mitigate their top 6, they should have advantage, namely with the Pouliot-Brassard-Zuccarello line. I also expect a big series from Moore and Boyle.

If the top 2 D pairs and Lundqvist mitigate Crosby and Malkin, the Rangers will prevail. Big if though.
 
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